Marathi TV programmes...

I happen to watch TV quite a few times. I mean the regional channels. It enriches me to a great extent .. Not always in a sarcastic way of saying .. but I enjoy it for that moment.

Marathi channels on TV are forced to move in two exactly opposite directions. On one hand they want to match the modern aesthetics and on the other hand they do not want to miss the semi-urban viewer. Advertisers are one force and the creative teams or creative critics may be the other.

Marathi TV programmes are mostly not either ways satisfying. With a few exceptions like Little champs of saregamapa on Zee Marathi, most programmes are such that a person with an IQ of average level will start laughing no limits.

Most programme inform you. They inform you about the ignorance people have in general.

Today I was watching a programme. The anchor was asking questions to the viewers who wanted to talk to the celebrity. Later the celebrity was also asked a question. The questions and answers go like this ....

Anchor : (to caller) Who is the first lady president of India?
Caller : Indira Gandhi
Anchor : What is meant by Kokancha Raja?
Caller 2 : Narayan Rane
Anchor : What is the the name taken by Lata Mangeshkar for composing music?
Caller 3 : Aasha Bhosale
Anchor : What is the full name of Aacharya Atre?
Caller 4 : Pralhad Krushna
Anchor : What is the full name of Pu. La. Deshpande?
Caller 5 : ........ (Silence .. and then ... sound of disconnection)

And then the height of it was ..
Anchor : (to the celebrity) What is the birth year of Shivaji Maharaj?
Celebrity : 1874 !!!

Anglomania !

Anglomania !

Yes .. I know there is no such word .. but since I am an Indian .. I have every right to kill English or enrich it with my brilliant ability to imagine words in it. I don't know why this is happening to me .. I mean, to an Indian.

For instance, Pune is supposed to be the hub of Marathi language and this local language spoken or written in Pune area is regarded as Standard Marathi. And still, we have so many people using English words for some simple Marathi words every moment and that, too, incorrectly.

One such word is Patience. Most people use this word as if it was a plural of a word 'patian' or 'pacian' or something like that. In a Marathi sentence they will certainly use this word with verbs and other attributes of that sentence as this word being a plural.

Another such word I come across these days is 'perform'. People, while speaking in Marathi, will almost certainly use the word perform in place of the word 'performance'. They ask in Marathi something that can be literally translated to 'How was my perform?' in place of 'How was my performance?'.

While speaking in Marathi or any local language in India for that matter, people have a strange tendency to use English words for simple words or phrases in that particular language.

No plumber can write the word PLUMBER correctly in Marathi. They can in fact say 'NaL Durusti' or 'NaL-Kaaragir' but everyone wants to get 'promoted' to the status of a 'plumber'. Similar is the case of 'Shock-absorber' when it comes to auto-mechanics.

In the line of wrong usage or wrong phonetics are some other victimised words. Automobile is generally spelt ‘atomobile’ in Marathi. Symbiosis as ‘Simboysis’. Memento is invariably 'Momento' and a 'mobile phone' is invariably 'Mau'bile'! Blood pressure may sometimes become 'blood pesshal'! Half a cup tea is called 'cutting' and fractional orders for dishes in hotels as opposed to they are .. meaning 1 tea shared by 2 may be called 2 by 1 or 1 by 2 randomly. An Inspector is 'inispector', a bulb may be 'blub' or 'bulp' or 'blope' and a public toilet may be 'bathroom' too. People handling hospitality at a function may ask you to have 'breakfast' in the evening instead of having snacks that they are actually serving.

While writing words like ‘pool’ in Marathi, people invariably write it as ‘pull’, which, when written in Marathi may also look like a Marathi word meaning ‘bridge’. Traffic is ill spelt in Marathi as ‘Trophic’. ‘Gynaec’ is ‘Gynic’, catering is ‘Cat’ering and so on.

There are many other words, which I may go on adding to this blog entry from time to time as and when I freshly notice them. I welcome the readers to add to this, too.

Many such words fall prey to this ability of people. The whole society is doing this. Even if the word is correct in itself the context may be wrong or uncalled for. A small shopkeeper or grocer will call his 15 ft x12 ft shop ‘a super market’. A hair-cutting salon will call itself a parlour. A small vendor of fruit juices may call his 'tapri'a 'bar'! Similarly ‘Dining Hall’ I think, is another odd concept. I think there is an odd sense of ‘being promoted’ or ‘gaining higher status’ by mere usage of an English word. The standards of the business may not match those intended in the used word and still for this ‘hype’ of being something ‘superior’ we are using such words every moment, every instance.

Young girls call everything they find good as ‘so sweet’ against varied words in Marathi describing the exact context of that 'felt sweetness'. Most will use words like ‘difficult’ against very simple words (like 'kathin')in Marathi for the same word. When women talk about their respective husbands they call them ‘her mister’. Some young actress is invariably called ‘Baby XYZ’.

Some words are modified and used as being Marathi by origin. Pant is one such word. People while speaking something like 'panteela istree kar' do not realize that this could also mean 'Iron your panties'.

Liberal language studies or scholars may perhaps welcome such exchanges. But I find them a part of our mania. Anglomania. Being a writer and theatre person, I perfectly understand that certain feelings cannot be better said or described in Marathi than in English. For example anything related to modern aesthetics, sexuality could be better said using English words. In Marathi, you will find synonyms to all the words used in such subjects but using those words may become embarrassing or too technical.

What is the exact nature of this disorder might become a part of study .. social psychology may be .. but I think .. we can begin to correct ourselves by being fair to both the languages.

I don’t know the solution. I will share what I am trying.

I try to be alert while speaking. If I see myself or anyone using a wrong word at a wrong place in any of these contexts that seem to be a part of this mania, I find some opportunity to correct it. Either by rephrasing or politely suggesting or by using the same word in my talk or my response in the proper way in front of people falling prey to this mania.

Why do we need to re-register as Citizen?

It is unclear to me why, who and how this system of re-and re and re registering as citizen of India got its roots ? I mean, I do not know why the names of people disappear from voters' list and the voters have to go and check if they can vote!

This is absurd.

I have a valid ration card on a Pune address but my voters card does not get transfered to that address. The number on my old voters' card cannot yield results in internet searches for voters.

I mean, despite going through the ridiculous paperwork and several visits to the designated offices thousands of people lost their 'right to vote' and could not vote. I have been struggling to see my name in voters list for past several years but every time I change my house, I have to go through all the grill all over again and still my name would not appear at a right place. I may have consolation if it is at some wrong place but I do not have access to this information easily.

Searching your name in the voters' list is not an easy task. What you get is a whole list of names readable only with acrobat reader.

So as an efficient voter citizen you need this one more thing .. a software installed on your computer !

So many hardships and a software too ...

I hope and pray to see my name in the voters' list some part of Pune some time in recent future!

Real Retirement !

Yesterday evening, I wanted to rush to my rehearsals and was looking for an auto. I saw one vacant auto. The driver was sitting on the footpath and doing something, scribbling. When I approached him, he looked pretty aged. He was writing some figures which I noticed to be his expenses on petrol, food etc during the day. I waited for a moment or two for his arithmetics to stop and then asked him if he was interested in adding something to the credit side. He smiled, got up with effort and took his seat. I sat behind and told him the destination. I was worried on one hand. I always fear age .. I mean, being or getting old is not the problem .. people doing physical or heavy physical activity or skills keeps me insecure till that scene ends.

To make things better for me I started a conversation.

The auto driver was 87 years old (according to him .. anyway above 80 for sure)When I asked him about his work and no retirement even at this age, he said, 'everything was nice at home. Two children. Six Grandchildren, own home and son staying with him and daughter the next door. The auto was bought by him 12 years back and there were two more autos owned by them all. He had been a 'taangawaallah' for several years! Thereafter with autos taking over the business scene .. migrated to being an autowallah!

Huge transition reflected through his eyes. I asked him about why would he not retire even after being in apparently good condition. His answer was clear. He said he worked for identity as 'productive' or 'valid' individual of the family.

His skills and reflexes for driving were too good at that age. Never in the journey did he make me scare except for the last line he uttered ...

We exchanged money and he said .. '' I am waiting for the 'final' retirement .. it should come while I am working!''

Six Women I met ...

As I have already said it here. I am writing a play. New one. And the characters in the play are SIX interesting women. I had earlier heard about it. That the playwrights and the characters have a constant connection and things of that sort. I had seen several plays which featured the characters coming out or coming alive and debating with the playwright. While I wrote my other plays, the characters were 'seen' by me. They were very clear, transparent and see-through people who gave me access to their life at my disposal.

This time I am working with six ladies in this new play. Interesting thing is, they actually 'tell' their stories to me. This prompting is continuously on!

I am experiencing this something 'sensory' for the first time.

Medicine classes once told me about Schizophrenia! HA HA HA !!!

Writing a new play !

Here I am again after a long time writing a new play. Yup. New. Entirely new plot. Not an adaptation! In last few months I have done several adaptations one after the other. First was Chaitra which was an adaptation of Tagore's play 'Cycle of Spring'. Finally Mohit directed this one. Mohit has is never keen on taking up plays that I write. This has happened for last several years. After 'Brain Surgeon' he stopped touching my plays. Some flaws in me perhaps that he cannot openly tell me .. Well .. But he praised Chaitra no limits. HE TOOK IT UP FOR DIRECTION TOO! and this was quite good for me. I got the necessary boost. Last year he indirectly conveyed his dislike for Sahasrachandradarshan when I first read it out to him. But this time I was write on target .. he liked what I wrote.

Almost immediately I adapted Tissue for Aniruddha Khutwad. Ek Rikami Baju as its Marathi awatar was accepted by most people seeing it or reading it. I enjoyed it too.

Next was Achalayatan. Again a Tagore play. I felt I could direct this. I did that and that, too, was liked by many people who watched it. Achalayatan has a different calibre. It may reach places if projected wisely and properly. Then after this play I Edited Saawly for its show as a long one act play. Later I finished my adaptation of another Bengali novel 'Gosaai Baganer bhoot'. The adaptation was titled 'Gosawyachya Bagetil Bhoot'. I did it for Mohit again but this, too is locked in an uncertain fate cycle.

Achalayatan had a prelude which was performed by four brilliant actresses in my group. We had to scrap that part of the play looking at a major reaction going against it. That time I had promised my actress friends that I will write a play for them. I had a plot in mind. I started my work on it. But somehow that plot kept on blocking me. The girls are very eager to do a play, so am I ! But No play .. and that pestered me for quite some time.

Day before yesterday my friend Swapnali sent me a few mails giving me a few plots that she found interesting for writing a play which she said she found I could do effectively.

I started my work on the plot and here I am ... writing a new play! All the characters are talking to me .. bringing forth their stories. I am writing a new play! and I am going to direct it! I am excited.

I am writing a NEW PLAY! 22 pages already written!